Han Seoha himself, completely oblivious to Baek Uihyeon’s feelings, stroked his cheek.
“I’ll… do guiding.”
The sensation of dried blood-covered fingertips delicately groping was hard for Baek Uihyeon to endure. Han Seoha’s guiding was always meticulous. Even knowing it was beyond his own limits, he sincerely and wholeheartedly never did it carelessly.
The touch was rough as the fingertips groping to gauge his lips withdrew and gently made contact with Han Seoha who had just woken up.
How long had he been here without a canteen or weapons?
Even though it was just lips touching, it was extremely difficult for Baek Uihyeon to pull away. For an Esper to pull away from a Guide who had approached first was more painful than any training.
“Water.”
At Baek Uihyeon’s brief request, who rarely forgot his formal speech, an Esper who had been collecting magic stones nearby immediately handed over a canteen. Baek Uihyeon carefully tilted the canteen to Han Seoha’s lips as he still searched for his lips.
“Ngh…”
Han Seoha, who had been about to do guiding, was flustered for a moment when the cold canteen touched his lips, but hastily swallowed the water. When Baek Uihyeon removed the canteen from his lips, a faint resentment shone from Han Seoha. His eyes looking only at the canteen while smacking his lips were so desperate that he felt the impulse to scoop up the entire dried-up river to fill him. At such a thought like a novice who had just fallen in love, Baek Uihyeon tried hard to calm his heart and tilted the canteen steadily.
“Slowly. Don’t swallow, just hold one mouthful.”
When he placed the canteen against Han Seoha’s lips as he nodded, he took such a big mouthful that his cheeks puffed out. He looked like a rabbit before, but now he looked cute like a squirrel, which was a problem. Baek Uihyeon, who forcibly suppressed the corners of his mouth that kept trying to rise, waited for Han Seoha to slowly swallow the water.
Gulp gulp.
Han Seoha, who swallowed two or three times from holding so much, looked up at Baek Uihyeon with a regretful expression.
“Just a little more, please.”
To the pleading Han Seoha, Baek Uihyeon overlapped his lips instead of giving the canteen. The rough lips held a bit of moisture, but it was far from enough. He could somewhat guess Han Seoha’s anxiety and thirst from being alone in the darkness. Baek Uihyeon wanted to reassure Han Seoha even a little with this sensation he had no experience with.
“Mm…”
When their lips touched and rubbed, Han Seoha focused on Baek Uihyeon’s chaotic energy rather than his thirst. For a deeper contact, he didn’t avoid the naturally intertwining tongue like before. Rather, when Baek Uihyeon’s tongue pushed in, he even dodged to make room. When Baek Uihyeon, thinking he was running away, chased and wrapped around it to suck, the unfamiliar feeling made the nape of his neck shiver, but he completely surrendered to the guiding passing through quickly through their intertwined tongues.
Baek Uihyeon, who had been pulling Han Seoha’s neck without resistance, stroked his smooth skin and gently tickled his ear. When his long fingertips warmly caressed the earlobe they touched, Han Seoha’s body flinched and tried to escape. In Baek Uihyeon’s deep embrace that wouldn’t miss that, the rustling sound of fabric brushing and the moans flowing out from stuffiness added to the sultriness.
The movements of the Espers who had been diligently picking up magic stones and items in the room covered with black vines gradually slowed.
The inevitable squelching sounds and breathing from tongues mixing and lips rubbing, and even the Guide’s panting breath. It was inevitable to gradually attract the attention of Espers who needed guiding.
More than anything, those who had frequently seen Baek Uihyeon receiving guiding were flustered by the very different deep contact.
Who was Baek Uihyeon? He was an S-rank Esper with about five or six exclusive partners. From Guides who followed him outside the Gate to Guides on standby 24 hours. Depending on his needs, he started guiding without caring whether it was in a car or in front of a Gate. Unlike the light guiding that ended with just holding hands like a handshake or a hug, the current Baek Uihyeon was excessively persistent.
While showing momentum to thoroughly extract from the Guide without gaps, his actions were nothing but affectionate. Even if Han Seoha twisted his body just a little as if to escape, Baek Uihyeon’s firm arms pulled him into his embrace. Even at the weak Guide’s feeble refusal, he soothingly parted his lips, confirmed that he was swallowing breaths, and overlapped their mouths again. Each time, thick sounds mixed, and the Espers who had been listening couldn’t even clear their throats and only swallowed their saliva.
Unlike those who were being careful not to disturb the two, someone who approached roughly while kicking magic stones reproached in a blunt voice.
“At most C-rank magic beasts come out here, so do guiding moderately.”
At Ryu Jaegeon’s voice, Han Seoha, startled, turned his head and Baek Uihyeon’s lips rubbed against his cheek.
“Jae, Jaegeon?”
“Everyone rushed here exhausted trying to save you alone, but you’re so carefree.”
“Why are you here, hng, wait a moment, Baek Uihyeon-nim.”
At Baek Uihyeon’s contact that continued from his cheek to his earlobe, Han Seoha squeezed his eyes shut and shrank. Baek Uihyeon lightly bit from Han Seoha’s earlobe along his ear and shifted his gaze to Ryu Jaegeon.
“I’m on duty. Use proper formal speech.”
“Ah, I did use honorifics, -yo. I’m saying do it moderately unless you’re going to set up camp here.”
Ryu Jaegeon, whose words were still short, was trying to be respectful in his own way. That was the condition for moving with Baek Uihyeon.
Ryu Jaegeon’s behavior looked like nothing but jealousy to other people as well. What actually caught Han Seoha’s eye was Ryu Jaegeon’s stable wavelength. Even while flinching at Baek Uihyeon’s biting, Han Seoha showed both relief and concern.
“Stay by Yu Haneul-nim’s side. He had a hard time suddenly falling into the cave.”
“Look at your own condition before you talk.”
“Huh?”
Before Han Seoha could look at his own body, Baek Uihyeon hugged his head and pulled him into his embrace.
“Esper Ryu Jaegeon should learn respect before joining.”
“Did I say something wrong? Does it only count as being hurt if blood is gushing out? You’re the one who can’t see that Han Seoha is in pain!”
The emotions that surged up so quickly that it seemed impressive he had held back that anger revealed Ryu Jaegeon’s feelings as they were.
If he was so concerned about Han Seoha, he shouldn’t have terminated the partnership.
Though no one said it, the sounds of tongue-clicking and sighs represented their feelings.
An A-rank Esper still obsessed with a C-rank.
An S-rank Esper courting a C-rank in real time.
Following the already overflowing rumors, eyewitness accounts would spread at a different speed.
***
Regular exploration report.
The secretary quickly delivered it to the Association Director’s impatience of receiving even a brief report first after the exploration ended, written in real time. Even an unorganized raw report wasn’t usually much different. The Gate report full of valuable information that would be passed over with concise reports of at most this time’s magic stone supply, mining information, new flora and fauna, was different only this time.
“The river dried up?”
“All the water drained due to a sinkhole occurrence. We secured the safety of base camp by restoring the collapse point and filling it with water.”
“The cause is absurd.”
“It doesn’t appear to be intentional.”
“So, you’re saying a rookie Esper made this hole.”
At the ridiculous information written in the report, the Association Director showed an empty laugh.
The unprecedented river water evaporation incident was the result of a mere rookie Esper’s showing off to impress a rookie Guide.
“A rookie Guide said they wanted to swim, so because there were tentacle magic beasts and it was dangerous… they pulled it out by the roots? Is that even possible?”
“It’s a rookie who awakened while farming, and their response methods related to plants are very excellent.”
“So the small crack in the riverbed where the roots were pulled out nearly led to a catastrophe in the end.”
The combination of C-rank magic beasts and base camp was far from a catastrophe by any measure, but when the Association Director’s lips twisted, the secretary quickly agreed.
“That’s right.”
“Right. I heard a lot of magic stones and items came out this time, and that’s all thanks to the Guide? Guides are really amazing. As expected, it’s inefficient for only Espers to enter Gates.”
The logic was strange since it wasn’t even found by an Esper. But to anyone, it looked like the Association Director was trying to push for Guides.
The Association Director crossed out several absurd lines of the report with a ballpoint pen and returned it to the secretary.
“Organize it properly and burn this trash report.”
“Yes, Association Director.”
The Association Director, who quickly looked over the separate report about Han Seoha and Yu Haneul, received the phone the secretary held out. Since he checked his family phone promptly except during meetings, the Association Director scratched his chin after seeing the message.
“This bastard seemed to be coming to his senses, but he’s doing this again.”
He thought his son was being prudent after causing a big accident from playing around with his lower half regardless of gender, but this time he started showing interest in Guides. Even though he was told there’s no difference even if ordinary people sleep with Guides, he wouldn’t listen.
“It’s a headache that my son is trying to lay hands on Guides too.”
After the participation of Guides in the last child abduction rescue operation became known to the public, his son showed interest. This Gate incident had already made the news and faces were on TV, so it caught his son’s interest.
It would be troublesome if he told those who were barely restraining themselves to endure more and they ended up pouncing on a Guide.
Once they got a taste, they would know there’s no difference, so it would be fine to just attach a moderately low-ranked Guide.
The C-rank Han Seoha, who was docile and clueless, seemed better to persuade than the A-rank Yu Haneul.
If he gave him one Guide, he wouldn’t cause trouble for a while.
Baek Uihyeon was a bit of a concern, but since they wouldn’t be sharing guiding anyway, there would be no problem as long as there was consent from the person involved.
